McKenzie County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,704, and was estimated to be 14,782 in 2024, The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and largest city is Watford City. McKenzie County is also the largest county in North Dakota by land area. The county lies immediately adjacent to the Williston Micropolitan Statistical Area, although the Census Bureau does not include McKenzie County in that grouping.

History

The

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

legislature created the county on March 9, 1883, with areas partitioned from Howard County (now extinct). The county was named for Alexander McKenzie, a territorial political figure who was later disgraced for corruption. The county was not organized at that time, and was not attached to another county for administrative or judicial purposes. The county's boundary was altered in 1885, and on March 2, 1891, the state legislature authorized the dissolution of the county, assigning its territories to Billings and Stark counties. However, this directive was not implemented, and McKenzie continued as a defined county until November 3, 1896, when another act was passed to dissolve the county and assign its territories to Billings County. This act was challenged in the courts, and on May 24, 1901, the state Supreme Court held that the county was to continue in existence. On March 10, 1903, the county was attached to Stark County for administrative purposes. On March 16, 1905, McKenzie gained the territories of Allred and Wallace counties as those counties were administratively dissolved. On April 20, 1905, the McKenzie County government was organized, and its previous attachment to Stark was terminated. The first county seat was

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

. In 1907 the seat was moved to Schafer, and in 1941 it was moved to the present location, Watford City. Between the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

censuses, McKenzie County was the fastest growing county in the United States, growing by 131.2% from 6,360 to 14,704 inhabitants, largely due to the Bakken Formation oil boom.

Geography

McKenzie County lies on the west line of North Dakota. Its west boundary line abuts the east boundary line of the state of

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. The

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

flows easterly along the western portion of the county's north boundary line, and the enlargement of the Missouri as it discharges into Lake Sakakawea forms the eastern portion of the county's north and northeastern boundary line. The

Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the Western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, via its own tributaries it drains an area with headwaters across the mountain ...

flows into the northwestern corner of the county from Montana, and discharges into the Missouri at the county's northern boundary line. The Little Missouri River flows northeasterly through the county's lower portion, on its way to discharge into Lake Sakakawea, east of the county's east boundary line. The county terrain consists of semi-arid rolling hills, carved by river valleys and drainages. The area is partially devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and north, with its highest point on its south boundary line, at ASL. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (3.51%) is water. It is the 1st largest county in North Dakota by total area. The McKenzie County landscape features a wide diversity of physical features, ranging from sugarbeet fields bordering the Missouri River at the northwest corner of the county to rugged badlands near the Little Missouri River in the south, where

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the badlands of western North Dakota comprising three geographically separated areas. This park pays homage to the time that ...

and the

Little Missouri National Grassland Little Missouri National Grassland is a National Grassland located in western North Dakota, United States. At , it is the largest grassland in the country. Enclaved within its borders is Theodore Roosevelt National Park with an additional , whic ...

are located. Between the two rivers is a large area of prairie, ranging from gentle rolling terrain to rocky, rugged pastures. The southeast corner of the county, bordering on the Little Missouri badlands of neighboring Dunn County, is abundant in wildlife,

quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen,

groves, and

bur oak ''Quercus macrocarpa'', the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'', and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub ...

groves, interspersed in places with western red cedar on the north-facing slopes of the badlands. The southwestern corner counties of North Dakota (Adams, Billings, Bowman, Golden Valley, Grant, Hettinger, Slope, Stark) observe Mountain Time. The counties of McKenzie, Dunn, and Sioux are split between Mountain and Central Time.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 85 * North Dakota Highway 22 * North Dakota Highway 23 * North Dakota Highway 58 * North Dakota Highway 68 * North Dakota Highway 73 * North Dakota Highway 200 * North Dakota Highway 1806

Adjacent counties

* Williams County - north (observes Central Time) * Mountrail County - northeast (observes Central Time) * Dunn County - southeast (observes Mountain Time in western section) * Billings County - south (observes Mountain Time) * Golden Valley County - southwest (observes Mountain Time) * Wibaux County, Montana - west (observes Mountain Time) * Richland County, Montana - northwest (observes Mountain Time)

Protected areas

Source: * Antelope Creek State Game Management Area * Antelope Creek State Wildlife Refuge * Bear Den Creek Public Use Area *

(part) * Maah Daah Hey Trail *

(North Unit - contained within LM National Grassland) * Tobacco Garden Creek State Game Management Area * Tobacco Garden Creek Recreation Area

Lakes

Source: * Demicks Lake * Lake Sakakawea * Nohly Lake

Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in McKenzie County was $378,579. As of the 2023

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 5,910 estimated households in McKenzie County with an average of 2.37 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $88,289. Approximately 8.1% of the county's population lives at or below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. McKenzie County has an estimated 69.8% employment rate, with 22.8% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 92.3% holding a high school diploma. The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (91.0%), Spanish (4.9%), Indo-European (1.2%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.9%), and Other (2.0%). The median age in the county was 31.2 years. McKenzie County, North Dakota – racial and ethnic composition

2023 estimate

As of the 2023 estimate, there were 14,252 people and 5,910 households residing in the county. There were 7,841 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.5% White ''(74.0% NH White)'', 2.2% African American, 8.3% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 3.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 13.0% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 14,704 people, 5,416 households, and 3,519 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 7,661 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 72.35%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.48%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 12.88% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 4.82% from some other races and 7.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 10.42% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 6,360 people, 2,410 households, and 1,682 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 3,090 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 75.35%

, 0.13%

, 22.20% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.42% from some other races and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.19% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 39.5% were Norwegian, 30.6% were German, 6.1% were Irish, and 0.7% were American. There were 2,410 households, 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.2% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 38.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,480 and the median income for a family was $58,906. Males had a median income of $42,803 versus $33,056 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $27,605. About 6.7% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the

, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Population by decade

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.55,0.0,0.0) ImageSize = width:650 height:325 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:14784 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = late ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:3696 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:1848 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1910 text:1910 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1980 text:1980 bar:1990 text:1990 bar:2000 text:2000 bar:2010 text:2010 bar:2020 text:2020 bar:2024 text:present PlotData= color:barra width:25 align:left bar:1910 from: 0 till:5720 bar:1920 from: 0 till:9544 bar:1930 from: 0 till:9709 bar:1940 from: 0 till:8426 bar:1950 from: 0 till:6849 bar:1960 from: 0 till:7296 bar:1970 from: 0 till:6127 bar:1980 from: 0 till:7132 bar:1990 from: 0 till:6383 bar:2000 from: 0 till:5737 bar:2010 from: 0 till:6360 bar:2020 from: 0 till:14704 bar:2024 from: 0 till:14782 color:darkblue PlotData= bar:1910 at:5720 fontsize:M text:5,720 shift:(-16,6) bar:1920 at:9544 fontsize:M text:9,544 shift:(-16,6) bar:1930 at:9709 fontsize:M text:9,709 shift:(-16,6) bar:1940 at:8426 fontsize:M text:8,426 shift:(-16,6) bar:1950 at:6849 fontsize:M text:6,849 shift:(-16,6) bar:1960 at:7296 fontsize:M text:7,296 shift:(-16,6) bar:1970 at:6127 fontsize:M text:6,127 shift:(-16,6) bar:1980 at:7132 fontsize:M text:7,132 shift:(-16,6) bar:1990 at:6383 fontsize:M text:6,383 shift:(-16,6) bar:2000 at:5737 fontsize:M text:5,737 shift:(-16,6) bar:2010 at:6360 fontsize:M text:6,360 shift:(-16,6) bar:2020 at:14704 fontsize:M text:14,704 shift:(-16,6) bar:2024 at:14782 fontsize:L text:14,782 shift:(-16,6) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from U.S. Census Bureau

Communities

Cities

* Arnegard * Watford City (county seat)

Census-designated places

* East Fairview * Four Bears Village * Mandaree

Unincorporated communities

Source: * Banks * Cartwright * Charbonneau * Charlson * Dore * Grassy Butte * Hawkeye * Johnsons Corner (or Johnson Corner) * Keene * Kroff * Rawson * Schafer

Townships

* Alex * Antelope Creek * Arnegard * Blue Butte * Charbon * Elm Tree * Ellsworth * Grail * Hawkeye * Keene * Randolph * Riverview * Sioux * Tri * Twin Valley * Yellowstone

Defunct Townships

Elk, Poe, and Wilbur townships merged January 1, 2002 to form Tri Township.

Politics

McKenzie County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only one national election since 1948 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024).

Education